St. Ignatius College
The Brain
The Brain is described as being ‘more powerful than the
most sophisticated complex computer’, but we only use
about 1% of our brain in our everyday activities.
Within the million, million nerve cells in our brain, we have
an enormous amount of potential, just waiting to be tapped
into!
We create thousands of new nerve cells every day, so we
are able to increase our skills every day.
Because our intelligence is not fixed, it can be influenced
by two factors:
How we feel about ourselves (our confidence)
and
The skills we learn about learning
Use the ideas in this booklet to help you understand a little
more about how your brain works and also how to make it
work even harder just by learning new skills!
Your Three Brains
The brain is a bit like outer space – largely undiscovered, but it is
known that the brain is made up of 3 parts and each has a different
job.
Knowing what’s between your ears is important because the way
your brain is wired will affect how you study.
The Reptilian Brain – controls breathing, heart rate and other
automatic functions in the body.
The Mammalian Brain – controls, moods and feelings. This is where
your long-term memory is located. It works best when you are
feeling relaxed and happy.
The Higher Thinking Brain – processes all your thoughts, learning
and movement. Our brain cells (neurons) are electrical transmitters
and our thoughts are electrical impulses travelling at 150 mph!
The Higher Thinking Brain
This is divided into two halves – sometimes one half is more
dominant than the other.
The left half likes to work in an organised way, dealing with
information in a logical step-by-step manner. It decodes speech,
words, numbers and symbols.
The right half deals with art and music appreciation, pictures,
colours, patterns and more sub-conscious learning.
It is important to try to use both sides of your brain when studying.
This is because the left half is good at dealing with facts, but the
right half gives meaning and personal experience to your work.
Using both halves together is called ‘Whole Brain Learning’ and can
increase your learning ability by three times!
Our Nine Intelligences
It is believed that we have 9 intelligences, some are more dominant
that others which is why we feel that we are ‘better’ at some things
rather than others. This list isn’t in any particular order, so have a
think about what your strongest intelligences are:
PHYSICAL
Good at sport/DIY/making things.
Enjoys PE/Construction kits e.g. ‘Lego’
VISUAL
Good with shapes/colours/design
Enjoys Art/photography
LINGUISTIC
Good with words, good listening/writing skills
Enjoys writing/reading/acting
INTUITIVE
Good at ‘just knowing’ something is right
Enjoys solving problems in an unusual way
MATHEMATICAL
Good at mental arithmetic/problem
solving/estimating
Enjoys puzzles/board games
MUSICAL
Good at music/hearing sounds in words/languages
Enjoys singing/playing musical instruments
INTERPERSONAL
Good at talking/listening to others
Enjoys being a ‘people person’
INTRAPERSONAL
Good at being aware of own needs/feelings
Enjoys keeping a diary/having personal memories
CREATIVE
Good at imagining/discovering new ideas
Enjoys writing stories/inventing games
Some of the intelligences are more academic than others and some are more
practical. Whichever are your strongest, value them equally. Our IQ
(Intelligence Quota) is determined by how we make use of our 9 intelligences.
Our ‘intelligence’ is no more than a collection of skills we use every day.
What Affects Our Learning?
Our learning can be affected by two factors:
EXTERNAL FACTORS – the atmosphere around us – which
means that we cannot learn effectively if we are TOO
HOT, TOO COLD, IN A STUFFY ROOM OR DO NOT
HAVE PROPER LIGHTING NEARBY.
To be able to concentrate fully, fresh air is ESSENTIAL.
The brain uses 25% of the OXYGEN taken in by the body,
which is why teachers will often say, “Sit up straight!”
When we are slouched in our seats our lungs are unable to
take in as much oxygen as they would if we were to sit up
straight. So now you know.
INTERNAL FACTORS – these can be influenced by the
way we look after ourselves.
We cannot learn properly if we are TIRED, ANXIOUS,
MOODY, THIRSTY, HUNGRY OR UNCOMFORTABLE.
DURING THE WEEK, going to bed at a reasonable time
can make a difference to how well we work at school.
If we are concerned or anxious, this can also influence the
way we work. Our LEARNING CAPACITY becomes very
limited and CONCENTRATION can be really difficult. If
you do have any problems, DO try to SHARE IT with
someone – a friend, parent or teacher.
AVOID people and situations that make you feel negative
and find people and activities that make you feel good.
THINK POSTIVE about yourself and others.
DID YOU KNOW that most headaches are caused by LACK
OF WATER? Our brains cannot store water, but needs a
lot of it in order to function properly. We have drinking
water fountains in school and the tuck shop and the school
dining hall sells drinks, so do think about increasing your
FLUID INTAKE, especially after lunch to combat
DEHYDRATION (lack of water in the body.) Try not to
drink too many fizzy drinks during the school day, though.
Most of these have a high CAFFEINE content which
causes dehydration. They also contain a huge amount of
sugar – as much as 5 HEAPED TEASPOONS! Because this
is a ‘simple sugar’, it enters the blood stream very
QUICKLY, which can make you feel quite energetic, which
is fine until the sugar is used up and the levels drop
suddenly. This can make you feel moody and irritable.
TRY TO EAT BREAKFAST before leaving home. If you
really can’t face anything to eat first thing in the morning,
then have breakfast in the school dining hall 08.00 – 08.45
am THINKING requires ENERGY , which you will get from
FOOD.
MOTIVATION
‘Motivation is a tiny spark that can create a raging fire.’ Being
motivated has a lot to do with your attitude; if you see things in a
negative way, chances are you might begin to ‘close your mind’ to
new ideas. To become an all round thinker you need to know about:
THE CIRCLE OF KNOWLEGE
1. English
2. Geography
3. History
4. Classics
5. Citizenship
6. Modern Languages
7. Design Tech.
8. Science
9. Food Tech.
10. Art
11. Maths
12. IT
As you can see, the circle is divided up into 12 equal parts – each
representing every subject taught in the lower school, here at
St.Ignatius College. All these subjects demand very different ways
of thinking and the more ways you can master or at least develop
some skills in, the more interests you will have. Being 16 might
seem a long way off, but ‘thinking skills’ will be very handy later on
as you will be much more employable if you can adapt to different
problems and situations.
Try to be positive – even in the subjects you find difficult for
whatever reason – at least you know that you are building knowledge
and thinking skills for the future!
This is Albert Einstein
1879 – 1955
He had some really clever things to
say about …
ATOMS
SPACE
GRAVITY
LIGHT
ENERGY
TIME
THE UNIVERSE
But a really clever thing he said
was …
“KNOWLEDGE IS
POWER!”
How to improve your concentration and listening
skills
Listening and hearing are not the same. Most of what
you hear is not taken in by your brain – listening requires
concentration.
Here are a few ideas you might like to try to improve your
listening and concentration skills in class:
 Be prepared – when you’re getting your bag ready the evening
before school, have a quick look at your notes from the
previous lesson.
 Line up sensibly outside the class – this will help prepare you
for the lesson.
 Sit up straight – our lungs can take in more oxygen and send
it to our brains, helping us to stay more alert.
 Be aware of ‘body language’ – our movements, posture (the
way we sit) and expression help our brains to pick up positive
messages.
 Listen for the aims of the lesson – teachers begin their
lessons explaining what will be covered. This will help you to
‘tune’ in.
 Listen for ‘key’ words – these can be names of people/places,
dates etc. You can use key words to link up your thoughts
when you work independently.
 Take an active part in the lesson – ask questions and answer
questions. This can help keep you focused, on task and
increase your understanding.
 Remember – Who, What, Why, When, Where and How.
 Be motivated – by seeing a reason for all that you study can
help you stay interested and involved.
Organisation and Planning
Being good at planning and organisation are very important
skills to have in school because they:
- put you ‘in control’, which increases your confidence
- help you become an independent learner
- are useful to have in place before you start studying for
your GCSEs
If you feel that you do need to consider change, don’t panic –
new habits can take just 30 days to become established and
then just a few more weeks later, they become automatic to
us. This may seem a long time, but being organised can be an
important life-skill, which will last a life time!
Think about how you use your time
Did you know that there are 168 hours in a week?
How many hours a week do you spend in school and on
homework?
How many hours do you spend caring for
yourself (sleeping/eating/travelling) and
attending activities e.g. football training/
music lessons
+
=
Add these two totals together
Subtract this number from 168
This is the number of hours free you have
each week!
Could you make better use of this time?
GO WITH THE FLOW!
Have you ever felt so engrossed in a task that you have been
unaware of time and effort? You know that you have the
skills and knowledge to cope and you are feeling totally
relaxed and focused and you are able to achieve all that you
want.
This is because there are no ‘barriers’ in your way and you
have complete confidence in yourself.
Sometimes we tell ourselves, or, may be told by others that
we are not ‘good’ at something. We may become anxious and
fearful. The more these feelings increase the less
information we are able to take on board and can sometimes
be faced with a blank piece of paper and not have any idea
about how to get started.
By keeping calm and ‘in control’ you can begin to break down
your learning barriers. A really good way of keeping in control
is by planning the work you have to do. By putting in a bit of
effort and following a few simple steps you will be able to
tackle a topic by breaking it down into more manageable
chunks:
 Make note of the date the work is due in by
 Be sure you understand what it is you have to write
about and what the teacher wants you to include
 Check definitions (meanings) of words that are
unfamiliar
 Visit the library to collect books etc so that you
have all the information you need
 Make note of the main points you need to include
 Draw/photocopy/scan maps and other visual
information
 Prepare an outline for each paragraph
 Write up in neat – check spellings/punctuation
Topping up your LONG TERM memory
Throughout the day, your brain is being bombarded with
information which is picked up by your five senses – SIGHT,
SOUND (Auditory), TOUCH, TASTE and SMELL. This is
called Multi-Sensory Learning. The information is taken to
your short-term memory, but because you couldn’t possibly
hold on to everything you said, heard, touched, tasted or
smelt yesterday, your brain sieves through it and as much as
70% of that information is lost forever unless it is repeated
and reinforced in 24 hours, when it then enters your longterm memory.
So how can you try to hold on to that formula your Maths
teacher showed you? How are you going to remember the list
of countries in Europe for Geography?
There are a number of ways of improving your memory – but a
really easy way to do this is at home; when you’ve emptied
your school bag, look through your exercise books and read
aloud the notes you made in the lesson, familiarising yourself
with ‘key’ words. Try to visualise the practical lessons; what
did you see/hear/smell? What equipment did you need?
What did the teacher say? If you can spend a short while
doing this regularly, you will be improving your long-term
memory. This will really be useful when you start revising for
exams.
Long Term memory
Five Senses
HOMEWORK HINTS
Understanding why you have homework can help you plan the
best way to go about getting on with it. The main purposes of
homework are:





To
To
To
To
To
practise a new skill
finish a piece of work started in class
revise for a test
complete or continue a piece of coursework
investigate a new topic
How can you try to do your very best?
1. Make sure that you’ve written down your homework
correctly – ask your teacher if you’re unsure
2. Do your homework as soon as it is set – your memory will
fade the longer you leave it
3. Use the school library/study club/public library if you are
short of space at home
4. Try not to do your homework too late in the evening – you’ll
be tired and the quality of your work might be affected
5. Have a snack and drink before you start. Build in breaks if
you’re planning on working for longer than an hour
6. The best place for you to work is the place you work best –
some like silence and others like background noise
7. Try to be organised by keeping school books/equipment in
one place
8. Read aloud the notes you made in class to jog your memory
9. Make a mind map/spider-gram to help brain-storm your
ideas
10.
If you’re still stuck – ‘phone a friend’
Tips to help motivate yourself
Think of when you
succeeded at something.
How did it feel? What
did parents/teacher
say? Once you think of
positive memories you’re
already more motivated.
What are you looking forward to?
What sort of life would you like?
What will you have to do to get there?
These are also Aims or Aspirations.
What will you do to achieve each goal?
Reduce these to targets and then to
tasks.
Don’t try to do everything
in one go, but break the
work into more
manageable ‘chunks’. Don’t
compare yourself with
others
Say to yourself, “If I do
this, I will be able to …”